Kat. He pulled back. Both hands were on my face, holding my head up. Kat, look at me.
I wasnt looking at him? My legs gave out. And then there was nothing. No Daemon. No thoughts. No fire. No Katy.
Things were hazy, disjointed. Warm hands kept the hair back from my face. Fingers smoothed over my cheek. A deep voice spoke to me in a language that was musical and soft. Like a song, butmore beautiful and comforting. I sunk into the sound, lost for a little while.
I heard voices.
Once, I thought I heard Dee. You cant. Itll just make the trace worse.
I was moved around. Wet clothing stripped away. Something warm and soft slid over my skin. I tried talking to the voices around me, and maybe I did. I wasnt sure.
At some point, I was wrapped in a cloud and carried somewhere. A steady heart beat under my cheek, lulling me until the voices faded and cool hands eventually replaced the warm ones. Bright lights intruded. I heard more voices. Mom? Mom sounded worried. She was talking tosomeone. Someone I didnt recognize. He had the cool hands. There was a prick in my arm, a dull pain that radiated to my fingers. More hushed voices, and then I heard nothing.
There was no day or night, but this weird in-between where a fire raged in my body. Then the cool hands were back, pulling my arm out from underneath the covers. I didnt hear Mom as I felt the prick again on my skin. Heat swept inside me, rushing through my veins. Gasping, I arched my back off the bed, and a strangled scream escaped the back of my throat. Everything burned. A fire raged inside me ten times worse than before, and I knew I was dying. I had to be
And then there was a coolness in my veins, like a rush of winters air. It moved quickly, dousing the flames and leaving a trail of ice in its wake.
The hands moved to my neck, tugging something up. A chainmy necklace? The hands were gone, but I felt the obsidian humming , vibrating above me. And then I slept for what felt like an eternity, not certain I was ever going to wake up.
Four days of being in the hospital, and I had next to no recollection of any of it. Only that I woke up Wednesday in an uncomfortable bed, staring at a white ceiling and feeling fine. Great, even. Mom had been by my side, and it took a hefty amount of bitching to get released after I spent all day Thursday telling anyone who came within a block of my door that I wanted to go home. Id obviously had a bad case of the flu, not something serious.
Now Mom watched me with shadowed eyes as I downed the glass of orange juice from our fridge. She was in jeans and a light sweater. It was odd seeing her
out of her scrubs. Honey, are you sure youre feeling well enough to go back to class? You can take today off and go back on Monday if you want.
I shook my head. Missing three days of classes already earned me the truckload of homework Dee had dropped off last night. Im fine.
Honey, you were in the hospital. You should take it easy.
I washed out the cup. Im okay. Really, I am.
I know you think youre feeling better. She fixed my cardigan which Id apparently buttoned wrong. WillDr. Michaelsmay have cleared you to go home, but you scared me. Ive never seen you so sick. Why dont I give him a quick call and see if he can check on you before he goes in for his rounds?
Even more bizarre was that my mom was now referring to my doctor on a first-name basistheir relationship had taken a trip into serious land, it seemed, and Id missed it. Grabbing my backpack, I stopped. Mom?
Yes?
You came home in the middle of the night Monday, right? Before your shift ended? When she shook her head, I was even more confused. How did I get to the hospital?
Are you sure youre feeling okay? She placed her hand on my forehead. You dont have a fever, but Your friend brought you to the hospital.
My friend?
Yes, Daemon brought you in. Although, Im curious how he knew you were so sick at three in the morning. Her eyes narrowed. Actually, Im very curious.
Oh, crap. So am I.
Chapter 3
Id never been more eager to get to trig in my life. How in the hell had Daemon known I was sick? The dream I had about the lake couldnt have been real. No way. If it wasI was going toI didnt know what Id do, but I was sure my flaming cheeks would be involved.
Lesa was the first to arrive. Yay! Youre back! How are you feeling? Better?
Yeah, Im doing okay. My eyes darted to the door. A few seconds later, Carissa came in.
She tugged on a strand of my hair as she passed, smiling. Im glad youre feeling better. We were all worried. Especially when we stopped by to visit and you were completely out of it.
I wondered what Id done in front of them that I couldnt remember. Do I even want to know?
Lesa giggled, pulling out her textbook. You mumbled a lot. And you kept calling out for someone.
Oh, no. I did?
Taking pity on me, Carissa kept her voice low. You were calling out for Daemon.
I dropped my face in my hands and moaned. Oh, God.
Lesa giggled. It was kind of cute.
A minute before the tardy bell rang, I felt an all-too-familiar warmth on my neck and glanced up. Daemon swaggered into class. Textbook-less as usual. He had a notebook, but I dont think he ever wrote anything in it. I was beginning to suspect our math teacher was an alien, because how else would Daemon get away with not doing a damn thing in class?